Compel People to Come In: Violence and Catholic Conversion in the non-European World, eds. V. Lavenia, S. Pastore, S. Pavone, C. Petrolini

This book brings the focus back to the dark side of conversion, to the varying degrees of violence that accompanied Catholic missionary activities in the non-European World in the 16th and 17th centuries. The essays collected examine three areas where, sometimes visibly, sometimes much more subtly, the violent aspects of conversion took shape: doctrine, missionary practice, and the conversion narratives. Investigating the connection between violence and conversion is a way to reflect not only on the early modern world, but also on that of the present day, when conversion \u2013 including by coercion \u2013 has yet again become a significant issue